New Worlds and Old Friends
by Rose15
Summary: What might have happened if Darla had never had to stake herself during Connors birth?
1. Unexplained Light

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. Everything belongs to Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt etc. No profit is made from this fic.  
  
Title: New Worlds and Old Friends  
  
Summary: What would have happened if Darla had never had to stake herself during Connors birth?   
  
Spoilers: Up to Season Four Ground State.  
  
Reviews: Yes please! Knowing what people like and dislike about my writing is the only way I'll ever improve.  
  
Authors note: This is my fist fanfic that I've ever posted anywhere. My imagination kind of ran away with me all starting with what could of happened if Darla had never had to stake herself during labour but it will all get explained if it doesn't make much sense at first. If you want to read more of it please review and tell me what you think. Thanks.   
**I had to remove this story briefly due to the fact that I realised shortly after uploading chapter 2 that I had been writing my supposed 'original' character as Faith. So I took the fic down and rewrote bits of it. I lost my reviews but just so you know I did appreciate them and would love more.**   
The blinding flash of brilliant white light could be seen for miles around, lighting up store fronts and houses, waking small children from their slumber. There were of course lots of different theories among the residents of LA as to what the light could have been, rumours of thunder storms and electricity cables breaking flew about the city but none of these were even close to the truth. If anyone had been in the ally when the light had blazed up, they would have seen a completely different picture.  
  
The bright white portal opened 10 feet above the ground of the LA backstreet and 3 figures fell screaming to the tarmac slamming hard on the ground with grunts of pain.  
"That wasn't the pain free ride you promised" A tall, tanned brunette admonished the petite red head who lay tangled up on the ground with a brown haired woman as she pulled herself up, dusting down her drawstring trousers and army green top.  
The brown haired woman groaned her agreement, "I think I broke something" rubbing her right arm and disentangling herself from the red head.  
"Hey, dimensional portals aren't the easiest way to travel. I told you that." The red head snapped out. "And you Faith" She directed her comment at the brown haired woman, "Have jumped off three storey buildings before and never broken a bone, I don't think falling 10 feet will break anything of yours."  
The brunette reached out her hand to the red head, helping her to her feet, "We're just joking, sorry Will."  
"Yeah red, sorry." Faith helped Willow to wipe the dirt off her jacket.  
Willow sighed, opening the portal had depleted her energy's and then having to maintain the binding spell she had worked on her two friends to keep them from getting separated had pushed her to the edge. She shook her head, "I'm sorry to guys. I'm just so tired after those spells."  
"Thanks Willow." The brunette showed her gratitude at the witch's efforts at getting them to this world.  
Willow flashed her friends a sad smile, "So Cordelia, what's the next step?"  
The brunette looked around her getting her bearings, shifting a bag full of weapons in her hand she pulled out three stakes and passed one to Willow and one to Faith, "We pay a visit to an old friend" Cordelia cast her eyes up to the slowly closing portal, "and hope like hell that they can help us."  
  
Connor sat spread out on the window ledge in his makeshift loft, gazing out of the broken window onto the cold LA night. The sudden flash of white light catching him so unawares that he fell off the ledge, "What the-" he trailed off as the light disappeared as quickly as it had come. He drew himself up to his full height checking he had a stake tucked safely in his jeans waistband and leaping out of the window to the street below, intrigued to discover the source of the light.   
  
"Do you think he'll be ok?" Fred's light airy Texan accent whispered into Gunn's ear as he sat at the Hyperion Hotels reception desk flipping through a newspaper. He felt his girlfriend slide her thin arms around his neck from behind him and rest her chin on his shoulder, a contented smile settled on his mouth.   
"Do I think who will be ok?" Gunn asked absentmindedly.  
"Angel." Fred indicated to the tall, broad shouldered man who sat on the lobby steps a few metres away. "Connors gone and now he's seen Cordelia in that higher realm and knows she's not coming back." Fred sighed and shrugged, "He doesn't have anyone to hold onto anymore."  
"He's got us." Gunn looked up from his newspaper at Angel.  
Fred's arms tightened around him "Its not the same."  
  
'Fred's right, its not the same' Angel thought to himself. He could hear every word that passed Fred and Gunn's lips, they always forgot that he had vampire hearing. 'You've been over this Angel' He told himself, 'Cordelia's where she is supposed to be and Connor will come back when he's ready, just like Cordy said he has to come back because he's family.'   
  
The bright white light flooded the hotel within a second, lighting every dark corner and forcing the darkness out. Angel jumped up from his seat on the steps moving quickly over to the reception desk.  
"What was that?" Angel's voice full of shock, all his heightened senses on alert.  
The light disappeared, the shadows cast by the hotels soft lighting returning.   
"I don't know but I sure as hell would like to" Gunn headed over to the weapons cabinet pulling out his large axe, handing a broadsword over to Angel and tossing a couple of stakes to Fred.  
The remaining three of Angel Investigations moved purposefully out into the streets.  
  
The white light hit Lilah's face cutting into her dreams and her eyes snapped open. She sat up in the double bed, bathed in light for a brief second and holding the white sheets around her lithe body. She saw Wesley's naked form leaning out of his open window, eyes searching the streets.  
Lilah rolled out of the bed, sheets still clutched around her she moved over to Wesley. "Was there a blinding flash of light or was I dreaming?"   
"You weren't dreaming Lilah." Wesley answered without looking back at her, ideas about what the light could have been already forming in his mind.  
Lilah dropped the sheets and pressed herself up against Wesley's back, "Come back to bed." She purred.  
Wesley turned to face Lilah a smile that didn't reach his eyes passing over his features. Lilah took him by the hand and led him back to his unmade bed. 


	2. Your Not My Cordy

A/N: I've rewritten this chapter a little, chopping it up and changing it around because I realised I wasn't happy with it. Now some of the bits that were in this chapter will be in the next. Sorry for the confusion.   
*   
"There's nothing here." Angel told his two friends, they'd been out searching LA for the best part of the night for any signs that the flash of light might have been something bad and had found nothing. Angel looked up at the sky and then down at Fred and Gunn, "The sun will be up soon." Sliding his broadsword into his belt he strode off down the street towards the Hyperion Hotel.  
"We could always call Wesley, if anyone can work out what the light was it will be him." The words tumbled out of Fred's mouth quickly so that Gunn couldn't interrupt her.  
"No baby, you know we can't even if Angel would let us." Gunn took Fred's small hand in his.  
Fred cast her eyes upwards, "Charles, Angel went to Wesley himself and apologised."  
"Only because he knew Wesley had the beat on what happened to Cordy." Gunn tugged Fred onwards indicating that the line of conversation was finished, following Angel's rapidly disappearing figure home.  
*   
Connor had been searching the streets for hours but had turned up no clues on what the light might have been. Looking up at the sky he felt the presence of the sun, 'Dawn soon' he thought to himself as he quickened his pace, he wanted to get in a vampire dusting before the suns rays lit up the city. He swung out of an ally not paying attention to where he was going and smacked straight into a solid object. The scent hit him first and he felt unbridled rage rise up in him, stepping backwards he looked up at his father.  
"Connor." A hint of love tainting the hard tone of Angel's voice.  
"Oh great it's the hell spawn." Gunn sighed as he saw Connor in the distance and was rewarded by a small chuckle from Fred.  
"What are you doing here?" Angel asked, not exactly sure what to say to the son who had sunk him to the oceans depths.  
"Looking for a vampire to dust." Connor's voice low and menacing.  
A fleeting grin slid over Angel's features, he knew that no matter what Connor thought, he was nowhere near ready to take him out. "Hey, you didn't happen to see that flash of light earlier?" He changed the subject lightly.  
Connor nodded, "What do you know about it?"  
"Nothing, you?"  
Connor shook his head indicating his lack of knowledge on the subject.  
Angel opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to think of the best way to pose his next question, "Why don't you come back to the Hotel with us." Angel gestured toward Gunn and Fred; "Just until we figure out what the light was. Safety in numbers and all that."  
'There' Angel thought, 'I've offered the olive branch, its up to him to take it'  
Angel watched as his sons face stayed void of any emotion, he nodded his head in a silent agreement.  
Connor fell into step with Angel, wary of the vampire next to him.  
*   
"There's no one on the first few floors" Willow walked down the stairs and back into the Hyperion Hotels lobby. "Faith's checking out the fifth floor."  
"There won't be anyone up there, no one ever went up there." Cordelia emerged from the office her arms laden down with books and paper so old it had begun to turn yellow. She dumped the papers on the reception desk and began to flick through the pages.  
"This is a different reality from ours Cordelia, they may use the fifth floor here all the time for dances and-" Willow trailed off as Cordelia turned her brown eyes up to her, "Yeah ok bad example." She retracted. Willow slid onto one of the stools that sat by the reception desk, picking up a large old book and opening it. "What you got here?"  
"Papers and books from the office, I thought I might as well check that they didn't have the texts lying around somewhere. Some of the writing is in Angel's hand, that's got to be a good sign." Cordelia returned to riffling through the papers.  
Willow saw the momentary look of hope that crossed Cordelia's dark eyes, "Cordelia you have to remember that this is an alternate universe. Here Angel might not ever have met you, he might not know who any of us are."  
"I know" Cordelia spoke not looking up from the book, crushing the feeling of dread that knotted itself in her belly.  
Willow looked down at the book she had opened and began flicking through it.   
Letting silence fall between the two women.  
*  
Cordelia heard Angel before she saw him, she dropped the pile of paper she was holding onto the reception desk and pushed herself up from her seat moving into the centre of the lobby to greet him.  
Willow swivelled on her stool to watch the lobby doors; worry lines creased her forehead as she frowned. They had no clue as to what Angel and the others might have become in this dimension and it troubled her that anything could walk through those doors. Willow readied herself to perform a protection spell, just in case.  
*  
"Where have you been staying Connor?" Angel asked as he swung open the lobby doors, the sight that greeted him was one he could never have prepared himself for.  
"Cordelia?" Angel took in the scene before him, the woman he loved stood with composure in the lobby, the woman who was supposed to be residing in a higher realm never to return was standing only a few metres in front of him. 'And she looks so different' He thought. Cordelia's short hair was no longer highlighted blonde, her figure more muscular than he remembered but the most unrecognisable part of this Cordelia was the long scar that ran down the right side of her face from eyebrow to jaw line.   
"Angel?" Cordelia's question lingered in the air.  
Angel nodded rushing down the stairs towards Cordelia, sweeping her up in his arms. "I thought I'd never see you again". Her scent hit him and he drank in the familiar smell only noticing the stench of death that clung to her being after a few moments.  
Angel set Cordelia down on the floor and took a step back from her, a feeling of unease settling on his shoulders, something wasn't quite right about her.  
"Well at least he knows who you are." Willow stepped up beside Cordelia, her bright hair and pale skin a deep contrast to her friend.  
"Willow?" Angel's brow furrowed in confusion, "When did you get here?"  
Willow cast an eye down to her watch, "About 4 hours ago but that's not the point."  
"Er I hate to interrupt this reunion y'all but didn't that big light flash go up 4 hours ago." Fred spoke up.  
"You saw that huh?" Cordelia dragged her gaze from Angel and turned briefly to Willow, "Real discreet."  
Willow opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Gunn.  
"Discreet! What are you defining discreet as girl"  
"Charles!" Fred elbowed her boyfriend gently in the gut.  
Willow shook her head realising how off track they were getting, "Guys." She pulled the gangs attention back to her, "We haven't got a lot of time, their coming and we need your help." Her voice and face set in seriousness. Willow saw Angel open his mouth to speak but she didn't let him get a word in, "Now if we can just sit down and shut up we can explain all this. Ok?" She fixed the people who had been her friends in her own reality with a hard glare.  
A general murmuring of agreement was uttered among the group and everyone began grabbing chairs and perching on desks.  
"So there's no one on the fifth floor and boy is it dusty up-" Faith came bounding down the stairs her sentence and movements coming to an abrupt halt as she saw Angel, Gunn, Fred and Connor.   
Angel was on his feet in a second, "Faith?" the confusion that swirled inside him obvious.  
"Hey" was all Faith said   
"You were going to explain?" Fred prompted, drawing everyone's attention back to Cordelia and away from the rouge slayer.  
"Oh right yeah." Cordelia settled herself down onto a seat.  
"Who are you?" Angel asked still standing, "Your not my Cordy."  
"No I'm not." Cordelia directed her gaze at Angel, "In our world I was, still am in a sick twisted vampire way."  
"Wait, what do you mean your world?" Gunn asked  
"We're from an alternate reality of this world. Things are bad there, real bad." Cordelia moved her eyes around the group, "Which is why we came here." 


	3. Sunset Tomorrow

Angelus growled at the blonde headed vampire he held by the throat, his face contorting into the visage of a vampire, lips curling back to reveal fangs.  
"Put him down Angelus." The sweet accent reached Angelus's ears and he felt a small hand press into his lower back.  
He snarled again and threw the whimpering vampire into the far wall of the large abandoned warehouse.  
"Good boy." The owner of the voice moved up beside Angelus and he snaked his left arm around the woman's small waist.  
"He's wasting our time Darla. Willow has already opened a portal to the new world, they could have found the texts and destroyed them by now"  
Shhh my love" Darla soothed running a delicate hand up Angelus's shirt clad chest, "We'll never get there in time if you kill the brains of our gang. Now apologise to the poor boy."  
Angelus looked at the cowering figure of the clever blonde vampire, "Gee Carl I'm sorry."  
Angelus sighed his face morphing back to human, he looked down on his sire's pretty blonde head, her hair set in wild curls about her face, "How do you always steer me right?"  
"Because I'm older and wiser than you," Darla turned her attention to the blonde vampire, "Now Carl, how much longer until you can open the portal?" She smiled a smile that oozed false sweetness hiding malice. Darla didn't want Carl dust but she had no qualms about torturing him if needs be.  
Carl scrambled to his feet and ran over to a large oak table that sat in the corner of the warehouse. He picked up a piece of paper and tried desperately to calm the shaking in his hands, "Um if my calculations-"  
"If Carl?" Darla questioned  
Carl nodded understanding the connotations in Darla's tone, "My calculations confirm that we will be able to open the portal to the alternate LA tomorrow night just after sun set."  
"After sun set." Angelus repeated, "Convenient" He commented giving Darla a little squeeze.  
"Angelus" The English voice managed to sound cocky even when only calling a name.  
Angelus felt a heavy, cold hand hit him on the shoulder. "Spike" his voice deadpan.  
"How you doing mate" Spike wiped a hand across his nose as he followed his sires glare to Carl, "Any closer to opening this portal thing of ours?"  
"Sunset tomorrow" Angelus removed his arm from Darla's waist and dropped down into a chair a few feet away, running a hand over his chin.  
"Sunset? Better get packing then" A grin spread on Spikes face.  
An annoyed looked set on Darla's pretty features as she turned to Spike, "Yes Spike sunset, don't do anything stupid between now and then."  
"Spike" A lilting accent snapped Spikes attention away from Darla.  
"There's my princess." Spike looked on appreciatively as Drusilla moved effortlessly towards him. Every time he saw the raven headed vampire he was stunned at how graceful she was, she seemed to float rather than walk.  
Drusilla offered her cheek to Spike and he gently kissed her. "Can I give daddy his present?" Drusilla turned her dark eyes on Spike.  
"Dru honey it was supposed to be a surprise."   
Drusilla took a step back from Spike and whined.  
"I'm sorry baby. You do whatever you like."  
Drusilla clapped her hands like an excited child, "Bring forth the gift" she waved her right hand towards the dark recesses of the warehouse.  
A large male vampire emerged out of the shadows holding a small, struggling, blonde woman in his arms. The vampire pushed the crying woman over to Angelus and he reached his arms out greedily towards her.  
"Dru you shouldn't have," Angelus said with a sly grin seeping over his mouth.  
"Dru saw her during dinner and we thought you'd love her. Small, blonde and just ripe for the taking." Spike flashed his eyebrows up at Angelus, "That's your type isn't it?"  
Darla's look grew harder at Spikes words as an image of that slayer Buffy popped up in her mind.  
Angelus directed a low growl at Spike, which slowly changed into a chuckle, "You know me to well, Spike."  
He looked down at the woman's exposed neck and he felt his brow growing, the smell of fear that this woman gave off was intoxicating. He buried his fangs deep into the woman's neck laughing at her screams as he drank.  
*  
"Darla"   
A punk vampire who had just sauntered in through the entrance to the warehouse drew the blonde's attention.  
"Have you brought the witch?" Darla was growing impatient and frustrated. Angelus and Spike had been pouring over Carls plans for opening the portal since dinner, paying her no attention whatsoever and Drusilla had been lying spread eagled on the ground singing some unrecognisable lullaby for the past half an hour, it was starting to eat away at her temper.   
The punk vampire nodded beckoning towards a young woman who stood stock still in the doorway.  
Darla could smell the power on her, not as much as Willow had but enough for her purposes.  
"Do you know why you're here?" Darla asked the witch.  
"Mark" The witch pointed over to the punk vampire, "Said you'd pay me to open a portal."   
"You can do it?"   
"Yes" There was a slight shake in the witches voice, she wasn't stupid she knew that these vampires were some of the worst around but she desperately needed money. She was so desperate that she'd do anything, including opening a portal for demons.  
Darla smiled, "What's your name?"  
"Amy" the witch told her.  
"Well Amy, we open the portal sunset tomorrow. Carl over there will tell you everything you need to know."  
Amy nodded, 'Best to keep silent and just get on with it' she thought to herself as she moved over to Carl.  
Darla sighed and sat down into a plush velvet chair, rubbing her left temple. The witches apparent agreement to the plan had not helped to ease her impatience, "Dru" she snapped, "Will you stop that incessant singing."  
Letting her eyes sink closed she tried to focus on the brutal things she would do to that bitch Cordelia Chase when she got her hands on her in this new world.  
A faint smile ghosted on her lips. 


	4. What Happened?

Chapter 4  
  
An uncomfortable silence had fallen over the Hyperion Hotel, no one wanted to be the first to speak.  
Fred watched from her stool behind the desk as she felt Gunn's finger loop around hers, she was grateful for the warm comfort his touch brought. She wasn't sure how long they had been sitting in silence but she knew that a lot of time had passed.  
The piles of paper on the reception desk caught her attention and she leant forward slightly picking up one of the large leather bound books, 'Ancient Texts And Prophecies' she read to herself. The book slipped out of her right hand and dropped heavily back onto the desk the loud bang startling everyone out of his or her thoughts.  
"Sorry' Fred said meekly, "Angel did you get these out? I don't remember them being here."  
Angel dragged his gaze away from Cordelia to survey the paper covered reception desk, he shook his head, "No, I didn't get those-"  
"It was me." Cordelia spoke up.  
"But why would you be looking at these kind of books?" Fred held up the large book so that everyone could see its title.  
"We're looking for a certain text, Cordelia thought Angel might already have it here." Willow leaned around Cordelia from the couch to look at Fred.  
"But we don't?" Fred asked  
Willow shook her head, worry still at the forefront in her eyes.  
"Why are you here?" Angel's voice was verging on cold, as he tried to keep the emotion out of his tone.  
"I wouldn't know where to start" Cordelia leant forward resting her elbows on her knees, unconsciously mimicking Angel's stance.  
Faith leaned back into the couch folding her arms across her chest, "Darla."  
"Darla?" Angel repeated with a question.  
"Why don't you start where it all began, with Darla." Faith elaborated on her sentence.  
'Darla's dust" Gunn tightened his grip on Fred's small hand.  
"Not for us she's not." Faith's mouth set itself into a hard line.  
Cordelia saw the looks of confusion that passed over the gang's faces and she sighed to herself, knowing she'd have to be the one to explain, "After Darla gave birth to Connor she reverted back to her natural state, evil pure and simple. That's when things started to go wrong. Angel, our Angel, did the best he could coping with his son and the horde of demons that wanted him including Holtz, Wolfram and Hart and Darla.  
"And then when Holtz stole Connor, which I'm guessing happened here to since Connors all teenager like." Cordelia spared a short glance over to the 18 year old who stood leaning in the office doorway, "Angel broke, for a while I thought we'd lost him for good but I should have known better."  
Willow reached over and squeezed Cordelia's hand briefly, bringing her back to the real reason they had come to this reality.  
"Darla disappeared for a while, we looked for her but with no luck." Cordelia continued, "Then when Connor came back things really went to hell, what with the sinking Angel to the bottom of the ocean for something he hadn't even done."  
A flash of anger rose up in Connor, he wanted to shout tell them all that Angel might not have murdered Hotlz but he'd certainly brought enough death to deserve the punishment he had dealt out but he knew it would get him no where. He'd be treated like an inconsiderate child.  
"We looked for Angel for months but he'd disappeared without any trace."  
"We got some experience in that' Gunn put in.  
"You didn't disappear to?" Fred asked this Cordelia.  
"Disappear?" Cordelia questioned Fred  
"In this reality you went missing on the same night as Angel."  
"You're a higher being now." Angel kept his gaze on Cordelia.  
"That happened here? I never thought I would of taken Skips offer no matter what." She mused.  
"Higher being?" Faith looked incredulously at her half demon friend.  
Cordelia nodded, "I turned it down."  
Now it was Willows turn to speak to her friend, "You could have been a higher being and you didn't take it up. Why would you do that?"  
Cordelia's eyes flashed to Angel, "Bad timing, there were things I had to tell people."  
Faith and Willow accepted this answer, knowing it wasn't the right time to probe their friend about it.  
"Anyway, during the summer Faith appeared saying she'd been let out of prison on a technicality and she'd come looking for Angel. We had to tell her everything and she decided to stay on in LA, help us out with the demon slayage and boy was there a tense atmosphere in the hotel for weeks on end after that. Everyone was suspicious of her, me especially but Gunn as well and Connor, they hated each other for a while."  
"What about me?" Fred interrupted, "Did I hate her to?"  
A faint smile passed over Faiths lips and she fielded the question, "No we got on quite well, opposites attract and all."  
"Then Wesley brought Angel back to us and everything was ok for a few days." Cordelia continued, not allowing anymore time for questions she just wanted to get it all out now she had begun, "That's when Darla came back, all pissed off and with a plan. Turned out she'd gone to gather the family."  
"Family?" Gunn asked  
"Spike and Drusilla." Angels voice was dark as he recalled his one time family.  
Cordelia nodded, "She didn't stop there. Darla found a powerful shaman to remove Angel's soul, she wanted her boy back and she got him." Cordelia was finding it increasingly difficult to get the words out.  
"Look you don't need to know the details," Faith said protecting her friend from having to recall the terrible things that Angelus had done, "The only things you need to know are that their all dead, Wesley, Gunn, Connor and Angelus did it all with a grin on his face."  
Willow saw Angel's face seize up in pain, "It wasn't this Angel, Faith."  
"It's in him though, just like Connor always said. We should have listened to that kid."  
Gunn jumped off his stool but Fred took a tight hold on his right arm keeping him back, stopping him from saying something he might regret.  
"Why did you go to LA Willow?" Angel fought to keep his shame at what he had just heard down.  
"Cordelia called, I came to restore Angelus's soul. I couldn't though, Darla saw to that. She broke the vessel your soul was contained in and I couldn't get it back."  
"What about me?" Fred spoke up, "You said Angelus killed us all but you didn't mention me."  
"What he did to you was much worse. He made you one of them."  
A shocked silence stunned the lobby at Willow's frank words and at that moment Cordelia fell onto the floor with a shout.  
*  
  
Authors Note: Just thought I should point out that in the alternate reality Spike never got his chip due to never returning to Sunnydale after he left with Drusilla in season 2 of Buffy. None of the Spike/Drusilla problems in their 'relationship' ever happened.   
Thanks for the review, I was suffering writers block with this chapter until I read it. More review would be amazing please! 


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